Defiance (2008) (R) was directed by Edward Zwick, and is the story of Jewish brothers from Belarus. There were four brothers; in descending age order: Tuvia, Zus, Asael, and Aron. They were poor Jewish peasants, yet this helped the brothers to learn how to survive and toughened them. The movie was also accurate in many of the smaller details of the Bielski brothers’ story. The Tuvia and Zus were said to be large, sturdy men, and in the film, I believe the actors portrayed them well. The two older brothers clashed several times during the movie, and while these clashes were not based on historical events, I am sure similar events happened because brothers fight; if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be brothers. In 1941, the Germans invaded, and began …show more content…
The text also said the brothers never sought recognition for what they did and that the descendents of those they saved number in the tens of thousands. The fates of the brothers were mentioned; Asael joined the Red Army but was killed and the remaining brothers eventually moved to New York City and started a trucking business. This movie is based on the book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec. In a review she said her main discrepancy with the history of the movie was the battle scenes. The partisans had much less conflict with the Germans, and there was definitely no Panzer as shown in one such battle. They were more focused on simply surviving than fighting the Germans. This film gave me a deeper understanding on life in eastern Europe during World War 2. I have learned much already on western Europe, yet I knew little to nothing on Belarus. Additionally, it made me realize to a greater extent how much of an advantage it is simply to know the terrain that they are fighting on. The Belarusian Jews were only able to survive because they knew how to maneuver and hide in the woods better than the Germans. The Jews were able to adapt in the woods to survive the bitter winter hiding from Germans, which is ironic when one realizes how the German’s defeat in Russia was largely due to their inability